Can they do it? England hit their straps as moment of truth arrives

London: England believe they have turned a psychological corner but that conviction faces the ultimate test in what shapes as a potentially defining day of World Cup action on Wednesday.

Having toppled India on Monday after a week of introspection and drama, the host nation need to repeat this against the Black Caps in Durham in order to rubber-stamp a semi-final berth – and keep a nation happy.

High stakes: England found their mojo against India but it all goes on the line in their clash with New Zealand.Credit:AP

England are in fourth spot with 10 points, one behind India and the Black Caps, but only one ahead of fifth-placed Pakistan and three ahead of Bangladesh.

Pakistan, with coach Mickey Arthur understood to be fighting to save his job, have one game to come, against Bangladesh on Friday. Bangladesh, however, have two games in hand, their first against India on Tuesday.

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Pakistan are favoured to win on Friday, meaning England need to get the job done against the Black Caps to ensure their fate is not in another nation's hands.

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Australia are leading the competition, on 14 points, with their interest primarily on India, who could yet vault to top spot should they win their remaining two matches, and Australia lose to South Africa on Saturday.

The immediate focus for many here is England and whether they are still a serious challenger. Jason Roy's aggressive half-century against India and the manner in which his side passed 300 in Birmingham – admittedly on a flat pitch with the boundary so short on one side it prompted a complaint from Virat Kohli – has skipper Eoin Morgan confident of reaching the knock-out stages.

"The closer we can get to playing our A-game, the more of a chance we have of going the whole way. If we're scraping our way along, not playing the type of cricket we played in the last four years, I wouldn't be as confident," he said.

Jonny Bairstow rode his luck to a century and Liam Plunkett's ability to strike in the middle overs upon his return were also important. But that "A-game" will almost certainly be needed against the Black Caps, who were indifferent in their loss to Australia at Lord's and cannot again let their batting be characterised by 172 dot balls.

Roy, in his comeback from a hamstring strain, has buoyed English spirits, for he is the bully boy at the top of the order ready to charge fast bowlers and make a splash.

Hitting out: Jason Roy's belligerence with the bat is a welcome fillip for the home side.Credit:AP

"Obviously, having him back on the team is quite a big confidence booster for everybody, particularly when he plays like the way he did [against India]. He's very intimidating, hard to bowl to, and he's a gun player," Morgan said.

The English press have gone from preparing obituaries to heaping rapturous prose on Morgan and his team. Former England captain Mike Atherton had been measured in his assessment after defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia but even he may have gone too far in his praise.

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"After losing, abjectly, to Sri Lanka at Headingley and to the old enemy, Australia, at Lord’s, Eoin Morgan’s team showed their best face again to hand Virat Kohli’s India their first defeat of the competition," Atherton wrote in The Times.

"More than that, it was the kind of performance – confident, assertive, aggressive with the bat – that will have restored their dented confidence and reminded others why they were so feared a few weeks ago. Most of all it was a performance full of courage."

That's a comment unlikely to be bandied about should England fall to the Black Caps.